The police chief said there was no evidence that Adam Baker had anything to do with Zahra's death. His boss said in his deposition that Adam worked from 6am till 8pm every day in a different county, which took him about an hour to drive home every night. However, he didn't work on Sundays, so why didn't he miss her from Sept. 25th till Oct. 9th?

He said he didn't see Zahra much, and relied on Elisa to take care of her. Adam said in one of his interviews that he spent more time smoking pot from spring till October than he spent with his daughter. That was really something to brag about.

_________________"Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven" -----Henry Ward Beecher

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Elisa Baker, in her first public interview, insisted from jail Friday that she was innocent despite pleading guilty last month to murdering her stepdaughter Zahra.

Baker portrayed herself as a loving stepmother and an unwilling participant in covering up the 10-year-old’s mysterious death.

But her sympathetic depiction is at odds with the one painted by police of a manipulative woman who faked a kidnapping in an attempt to thwart their investigation into Zahra’s death. Family and friends accused Baker of controlling her husband and abusing her children, including Zahra.

Hickory is also building a park in honor of Zahra. It will be called The Zahra Baker All Kids Park. I knew they were collecting money for a park, but didn't know where it was going to be located. When I went to my mom's (and now mine) house on Tuesday, I saw the sign where it will be located. It's not even a mile from our house, and they just broke ground Tuesday.

This park will also be available for handicapped kids. Wheelchairs will be able to access all parts of the park and they will even have a 'tree house' that will be accessable by wheelchairs. They wanted to raise $80,000 for this park and so far they have collected over $150,000.

Last edited by sitemama on Fri Nov 18, 2011 10:14 pm; edited 1 time in total

_________________"Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven" -----Henry Ward Beecher

Adam Baker, the father of slain North Carolina 10-year-old Zahra Baker, has been deported to Australia, and has taken the girl’s remains with him, Baker’s attorneys said today.

Zahra Baker was gruesomely killed in October 2010 by Adam’s wife and the girl’s stepmother, Elisa Baker. Adam Baker, 33, had met the woman online and moved from Australia to be with her, taking Zahra with him. Zahra’s mother, Emily Deitrich, had given Adam custody because of postpartum depression.

The Zahra Baker Park for All Children has been completed in Hickory NC, but will not open till mid May after the dedication ceremony. All the equipment is in place, except for the massive slide which has been postponed due to huge rocks that have to be removed. This will be the first park in our area for ALL children, even handicapped. They needed $85,000 to build this park, but collected over $200,000. The balance of the money will be used for scholarships to send handicapped kids to college, and it is called the Zahra Baker Scholarship.

Two writers for the Hickory Record, our local newspaper have written a book, called "StepMONSTER. It gives all the details that were not published in the newspapers during this terrible time, up till Elisa Baker confessed to 2nd degree murder. The book sells for $4.95, plus .35 state tax and $3.00 shipping and handling charges. I bought one yesterday and it is well worth the $8.30.

You can order the book by sending a check in the amount of $8.30 to:

Hickory Daily Record1100 Park Place11th Ave Blvd SEHickory, NC 28602

or order by credit card by calling 828-322-4510

Half the proceeds from the sale of this book also goes to the scholarship fund.

BTW, a skull and other bones were found today in the vacinity close to where they found other bones of Zahra. They cannot say today if they are Zahra's, but the investigators feel pretty certain they are hers.

Sherry, the park is about 3 blocks from my mom's house. We rode over to it today, but it is blocked off and you can't get to it yet because all the landscaping and the ground rubber has not been put down yet.

_________________"Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven" -----Henry Ward Beecher

Deputy: “... If it’s not her then we’ve got a whole new problem on our hands.”

By: Richard GouldHickory Daily RecordPublished: May 17, 2012

HICKORY, N.C. -- It’s been a month and we still don’t know if the skull and bones found in Caldwell County are Zahra Baker’s remains.

“They’re still working on it, and we’re still waiting,” said Sgt. B.J. Fore of the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office. “We’re on pins and needles, too, because if it’s not her then we’ve got a whole new problem on our hands.”

A turkey hunter found a small skull and bones about 20 to 30 yards off Winkler Way off N.C. 268 on the morning of April 17. The skeletal remains were sent to the Carolina State Bureau of Investigation’s lab for testing. The remains had not been buried.

That's sad. They should have this done by now. I thought Adam Baker took the remains to Australia with him. If the remains aren't Zahra's, whose remains did he take, and where is Zahra? This sounds messed up.

_________________This site feels like running free on a playground on a sunny day with the wind in your hair and the birds chirping around you!~~eva

Julie, they never found Zahra's skull and some smaller bones. Adam took what they had found, but if these are determined to be Zahra's bones, and the skull is broken or smashed in, the DA would never have settled for Elisa's pleading to 2nd Degree. He would have gone for 1st degree. He kept stating in all his interviews "if we could just find the skull".

_________________"Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven" -----Henry Ward Beecher

Thanks for the updates. This was the case that bought me to the hinky meter in the first place. No matter what it is the charges will still the same unless Adam can be charged. Prayers do work so let's wait and see if the evil step mother runs her mouth so mommas boy can be returned from his little vacation time. The step mother did run her mouth after sencencing and she may already been working it so she will not feel alone in being charged in poor Zahras death.

Our local DA said no charges will be brought against Adam. They know she did it all herself because he worked from 6am till 8:30pm or 9pm every day. When he wasn't working he was smoking pot and getting high. Zahra stayed in her room all the time because she didn't want to smell it. Therefore, it was several weeks after the murder before he even knew she was missing. He definitely was a poor excuse of a father, but we don't believe he had anything to do with the killing.

Since he was here illegally, he could not get a job, so us poor tax payers of Catawba County had to support him. We were thrilled when they put him on a plane and sent him back to Australia. Good riddance!!!

_________________"Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven" -----Henry Ward Beecher

snowbird wrote:It is so heart breaking that a person who killed and cut up a child would only get 18 and a half years in prison. It seems like a small amount of time for what she did to that child.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I don't know if she will be eligible for parole any time during her stay in prison. I have a feeling that she won't have much luck trying to take an early advantage of the good graces of the parole board though. I wouldn't think she'd be making any good friends during her stay either... the word must be out on her and what she did. So many women in prison miss their own children so badly that they don't appreciate child killers very much. You're right that 18 1/2 years is not long enough but, it's going to be a very long time to be as miserable as I'm hoping she's going to be. Nothing can bring Zahra back but I certainly hope that they have found her remains. Being tossed away like trash is the final insult to injury and I hope, at least, that she has finally been found so she can go back to her home.

I went to the Zahra Baker Park today. They did the ribbon cutting @ 11:30 but I didn't go till after 1pm. They said Nancy Grace had planned to attend to actually cut the ribbon, but had to cancel yesterday. Someone said some of her crew was there, so I hope she has something on her show Monday nite.

BTW, Elisa Baker is still facing many federal charges of selling prescription drugs, and the DA said she will most like get more time for that than the murder conviction. That makes me sick to hear cops and DA's say that.

_________________"Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven" -----Henry Ward Beecher

sitemama wrote:I went to the Zahra Baker Park today. They did the ribbon cutting @ 11:30 but I didn't go till after 1pm. They said Nancy Grace had planned to attend to actually cut the ribbon, but had to cancel yesterday. Someone said some of her crew was there, so I hope she has something on her show Monday nite.

BTW, Elisa Baker is still facing many federal charges of selling prescription drugs, and the DA said she will most like get more time for that than the murder conviction. That makes me sick to hear cops and DA's say that.

Now there is new evidence, couldn't she be brought up on charges just relating to the new evidence? Child abuse, etc?

Yes, thank you sitemama..Zahra's case its what got me started following these stories. Such a tragedy. I still see that infectious smile on Zahra's face (and Caylees) that will always be a reminder of why we all have to do whatever we can to protect these precious children.

Zahra tribute: As police await forensic tests on a skull found last month, a playground has been opened in honour of Zahra Baker (seen centre with father Adam and stepmother Elisa).Picture: The Advertiser.

FORENSIC tests on a skull and other bones found last month are yet to determine if they belong to Zahra Baker.

Authorities are nervously awaiting the test results because if the grisly find is not 10-year-old Zahra then another killer could be on the loose.

"We're on pins and needles, too, because if it's not her then we've got a whole new problem on our hands," Caldwell County Sheriff Sergeant BJ Fore told the Hickory Daily Record newspaper.

Thanks for the updates everyone. I always wondered if EB told detectives where Zahras skull was and they just couldn't find it, or of she never told. I wonder what the skull will reveal. This angel will always be in my heart.

I took my 7 y/o great-grandson and a friend to the park after lunch Saturday. They did not want to leave, they were having so much fun. It also has a train that runs around the park and they rode it 3 times. I lost count of times they used the slide, and the climbing ropes.

This park is only 3 blocks from my house, in Hickory. When her remains were located, I was living in Caldwell County and they were located off the road I traveled to get to my daughter's house. I have no idea how many times we drove past that area without knowing Zahra was there.

After her dad decided not to hold a memorial service for Zahra, the funeral home held it themselves. Their chapel was opened from 1pm till 8pm and ppl could come and go as they pleased. The main picture of Zahra had been enlarged and sat at the front of the chapel. Anyone could get up and speak as they saw fit. I went around 3pm and there were many ppl there, and several got up and spoke, one was a former teacher of Zahra's, and one was the mother of the Young's that EB tried to blame for her death.

_________________"Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven" -----Henry Ward Beecher

sitemama wrote:I took my 7 y/o great-grandson and a friend to the park after lunch Saturday. They did not want to leave, they were having so much fun. It also has a train that runs around the park and they rode it 3 times. I lost count of times they used the slide, and the climbing ropes.

This park is only 3 blocks from my house, in Hickory. When her remains were located, I was living in Caldwell County and they were located off the road I traveled to get to my daughter's house. I have no idea how many times we drove past that area without knowing Zahra was there.

After her dad decided not to hold a memorial service for Zahra, the funeral home held it themselves. Their chapel was opened from 1pm till 8pm and ppl could come and go as they pleased. The main picture of Zahra had been enlarged and sat at the front of the chapel. Anyone could get up and speak as they saw fit. I went around 3pm and there were many ppl there, and several got up and spoke, one was a former teacher of Zahra's, and one was the mother of the Young's that EB tried to blame for her death.

Thanks for the update. She will always be in my heart. To have soo many bad things happen to her and she always had a smile in every picture.

sitemama wrote:I took my 7 y/o great-grandson and a friend to the park after lunch Saturday. They did not want to leave, they were having so much fun. It also has a train that runs around the park and they rode it 3 times. I lost count of times they used the slide, and the climbing ropes.

This park is only 3 blocks from my house, in Hickory. When her remains were located, I was living in Caldwell County and they were located off the road I traveled to get to my daughter's house. I have no idea how many times we drove past that area without knowing Zahra was there.

After her dad decided not to hold a memorial service for Zahra, the funeral home held it themselves. Their chapel was opened from 1pm till 8pm and ppl could come and go as they pleased. The main picture of Zahra had been enlarged and sat at the front of the chapel. Anyone could get up and speak as they saw fit. I went around 3pm and there were many ppl there, and several got up and spoke, one was a former teacher of Zahra's, and one was the mother of the Young's that EB tried to blame for her death.

This poor child lived thru so much in her short life and then have her life taken by this evil women. I am so glad the funeral home held a memorial service for Zahra, I had never heard that, I am also glad her teacher got up to talk and pay respect to this child. Thanks for information.

Zahara Baker. Such a brilliant smile for a such a little girl. She carried so much pain in her little heart and did it with such dignity. Open. Loving. Beauty is what she radiated. I can not fathom how anyone would wish to place any onus upon this child. May God always hold His children so dear.

Freckles wrote:Zahara Baker. Such a brilliant smile for a such a little girl. She carried so much pain in her little heart and did it with such dignity. Open. Loving. Beauty is what she radiated. I can not fathom how anyone would wish to place any onus upon this child. May God always hold His children so dear.

This case is still as sickening as it was from day one. The fact that AB was able to leave the US, with Zahara's partial remains, still boggles the mind. I was under the impression those remains would be given to her biological mother, Emily.

Zahra's bio mom gave up her parental rights to Zahra when she was a baby. Adam had custody of her so the remains had to be released to him. Hickory and Lenoir just wanted him to go back home. He was here illegally, therefore could not get a job and the county was paying his rent and feeding him. We were glad to see him go. He shopped at the same grocery store that my daughter and I shopped at, and Kelli ran into him one day in the check out line and he tried chatting with her. She told him she had nothing to say to him and preferred that he not speak to her.

_________________"Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven" -----Henry Ward Beecher

This is one case I followed closely. Zahra really never got justice but at least maybe she can rest more now knowing the police officers on her case have never give up finding every last piece that her evil step mother took from her. God rest your soul Zahra. You are a beautiful angel above us now.

CNN) -- Zahra Baker had been an international symbol of strength and hope: A freckle-faced girl who lost part of her left leg at age 5 and her hearing while being treated for cancer, she kept smiling and fighting through it all.

Yet Zahra's life ended violently in fall 2010. That's when her stepmother, Elisa Baker, told police in Hickory, North Carolina, that the girl, then 10, was killed and dismembered, according to search warrants. The youngster's body parts were then disposed of in various locations, the stepmother told police.

Elisa Baker pleaded guilty in 2011 to killing her stepdaughter.

While police found some of Zahra's remains in the weeks after she was reported missing, some parts hadn't been accounted for. But authorities took a major step forward on this count Thursday, with the confirmation that a skull found in April 2012 in Caldwell County, North Carolina, belonged to the girl.

Elisa Baker was in Federal Court today and she received an additional 10 years added to the 18 years for Zahra's murder. She was convicted of selling drugs out of the home she shared with Adam and Zahra.

Ales, the park was opened and dedicated in May 2012. The tree house is being added this spring and I guess Rudy is going to have another dedication for that addition. The park is only 3 blocks from my mom's house in Hickory where I grew up. I took my great-grands to the park on dedication day last year. BTW, that is not a local newspaper from Hickory. I noticed the article is dated March 31,2013, but they talk like the park is just being planned, but it has been opened for almost a year.

_________________"Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven" -----Henry Ward Beecher

Ales, the park was opened and dedicated in May 2012. The tree house is being added this spring and I guess Rudy is going to have another dedication for that addition. The park is only 3 blocks from my mom's house in Hickory where I grew up. I took my great-grands to the park on dedication day last year. BTW, that is not a local newspaper from Hickory. I noticed the article is dated March 31,2013, but they talk like the park is just being planned, but it has been opened for almost a year.

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - There are new legal threats for a man running a charity in the name of Zahra Baker. The little girl's step-mother killed her in 2010, and the story captured headlines around the world.

Jim Julian told WBTV he created the Zahra Clare Baker foundation in 2011 to raise money for "children with challenges."

People who donated accused Julian of being dishonest about what he did with the money. A state investigation showed he hasn't broken the law, but he did fail to file the proper paperwork.

WBTV was the first to report last October when North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper's office became concerned. Julian has always said that his foundation is a legitimate one.

"(It's) to help get kids to their cancer treatments. We have purchased wheelchairs and had a laptop computer refurbished and sent to a little girl with Asperger's syndrome in the mountains," he said.

Even though Julian was adamant his foundation put money it raised to good use, Cooper's office continued to investigate, sending him multiple letters. The most recent letter was sent September 12, 2013.

This was the first child murder case I followed. I came across it on the hinkley meter. ( I know my spelling is way off so please excuse for this). If her dad had not lust for the step mother and had blinders on because she supplied him with his needs which was sex and drugs, Zahra would be alive today and with her mom. The real mom was planning to come to the States and visit Zahra which shot up red flags to the step mom that Zahra may tell how she was treated.so I guess murdering the poor girl was a better plan then just spending a few years in jail for abuse.